Michael W. Lodge | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority | |
| In office 2016–present | |
| Preceded by | Nii Allotey Odunton (Ghana) |
| Personal details | |
| Alma mater | University of East Anglia London School of Economics |
Michael W. Lodge is a British lawyer who has served as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority since 2016. [1]
Lodge studied law at the University of East Anglia and was later awarded a Master of Science degree in marine policy from the London School of Economics. [1] He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in London. [2]
Lodge worked as a legal counsel for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (1991−1995) and the International Seabed Authority (1996−2003),and as counselor for the OECD Roundtable on Sustainable Development (2004−2007). He was a lead negotiator for the South Pacific island states for the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and has worked as a consultant on fisheries and environmental and international law. [1]
In 2016 Lodge succeeded Nii Allotey Odunton as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority,having served as Deputy to the Secretary-General and Legal Counsel since 2011. [1] [3] He was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2020,but was unsuccessful in his bid to secure a third term,losing to the Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho in the election held in August 2024. [4] [5] Lodge had been criticized for pushing for industrial deep sea mining to begin before formal regulations were in place. [6] [7] [8]
Lodge held appointments as an associate fellow of Chatham House in London (2007),a visiting fellow of Somerville College,Oxford (2012−2013),and a member of the World Economic Forum global agenda council on oceans (2011−2016). He is also the author of over 25 books and articles on the law of the sea and oceans policy. [1]
In 2020 Lodge was recognized as an International Gender Champion. [3]
The International Seabed Authority (ISA) is a Kingston,Jamaica-based intergovernmental body of 167 member states and the European Union. It was established under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and its 1994 Agreement on Implementation. The ISA's dual mission is to authorize and control the development of mineral related operations in the international seabed,which is considered the "common heritage of all mankind",and to protect the ecosystem of the seabed,ocean floor and subsoil in "The Area" beyond national jurisdiction. The ISA is responsible for safeguarding the international deep sea,defined as waters below 200 meters,where photosynthesis is hampered by inadequate light. Governing approximately half of the total area of the world's oceans,the ISA oversees activities that might threaten biological diversity and harm the marine environment.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea Treaty,is an international treaty that establishes a legal framework for all marine and maritime activities. As of July 2024,169 States and the European Union are parties.
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Common heritage of humanity is a principle of international law that holds the defined territorial areas and elements of humanity's common heritage should be held in trust for future generations and be protected from exploitation by individual nation states or corporations.
UN-Oceans is an inter-agency mechanism that seeks to enhance the coordination,coherence and effectiveness of competent organizations of the United Nations system and the International Seabed Authority,within existing resources,in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,the respective competences of each of its participating organizations and the mandates and priorities approved by their respective governing bodies.
The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) or Clarion-Clipperton Fracture Zone is an environmental management area of the Pacific Ocean,administered by the International Seabed Authority (ISA). It includes the Clarion Fracture Zone and the Clipperton Fracture Zone,geological submarine fracture zones. Clarion and Clipperton are two of the five major lineations of the northern Pacific floor,and were discovered by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in 1954. The CCZ is regularly considered for deep-sea mining due to the abundant presence of manganese nodules.
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